Home Remodeling
Recommended Vendors Architects Rigazio Designs Lisa Rigazio AIA, LEED AP 1622 Belvedere Boulevard Silver Spring, MD 20902 (240) 350-0532 lisa@rigaziodesigns.com www.rigaziodesigns.com Studio d Dana Haden AIA 805 Sligo Creek Parkway Takoma Park, MD 20912 301-270-5811 danahaden@rcn.com danahaden@gmail.com Rick Vitullo vitullostudio@earthlink.net (301)806-6447 Customer Recommendation(s): Very down to earth guy, conscious of cost and quality. He is an architect and has a structural engineer who works w him. Basement Waterproofing Bathtub Reglazing Porcelain Tub Restorations Hector Villa (301) 262-6012 Drywall J&P Drywall Jacques (Jack) LaRochelle Rockville, MD (301) 251-8781 Ryan Mayn (301) 589-3784 Omar's Contracting (301) 942-5959 I use them often, for myself and clients, and prices are reasonable. Reggie's General Contractors (703) 856-4944 We used Reggie's General Contractors for our drywall and are very happy with his services. His price is really good too. Marc Sauro (301) 758-8426 Renaissance Restoration and Renovation Bob Babendreier (240) 593-1427 'Electricians' Certified Electrical Technologies 301-589-4255 certifiedelec.com ++++ We used them last year to install exhaust fans in two bathrooms and were pleased. (12/14) Dedhico Home Improvements 301-924-2620 www.dedhico.com Owner Dave Dee has an electrician working for him. Also offers handyman, bathroom, kitchen and exterior work. (12/14) Hyman Electric Bill Hyman (301) 622-1777 +We found them to be very expensive ($375 vs.$225 to install ceiling fan) ($375 vs. $175 to install outdoor outlet). Also they wanted to charge service charge when we opted out of 1 of 3 jobs. We used Dave Hensel Electric instead. M. D. Electric Mike Durand 1209 Highland Drive Silver Spring, MD (240) 401-6615 Rick Poss 240-899-7227 ++++ Great electrician! (12/14) Solutions Electric 1503 Leister Drive Silver Spring, MD 20904 (301) 879-8788 solutions_electric@msn.com www.solutionselectric.com Thomas Electric (240) 882-7836 A seasoned electrician at a reasonable cost Tomato Electric 301-924-2454 http://www.tomatoelectric.com ++++ They did 2 small projects for us. We paid $200 for good service. The worker was timely and professional. (12/14) Fencing Potomac Fences, Inc. 301-468-1228 www.potomacfence.com i highly recommend Potomac Fences, Inc. You may want estimates from two or more companies, but I’d definitely get one from Potomac. The did a great job on mine four years ago… you are welcome to take a look at it. SArcher 20:26, May 18, 2010 (UTC) Alice on Tilton Long Fence Accokeek Fence www.accokeekfence.com We used Accokeek Fence for our fence. We were really happy with their quote, work and the fence. They had pretty good ratings in the Washington Consumer Checkbook when we were looking and so that is why we went with them ... We were very happy with Accokeek. Great fence, good price. General Contractors Rick Bird 301-785-8927 rbird7282@verizon.net We hired him to renovate our kitchen. It was a relatively small job and we had difficulty getting quotes from some of the other names on the listserv who weren't interested in the job. Rick works alone (except for bigger electrical and plumbing tasks, and he has people he subcontracts to for those pieces.) He is thorough, detailed, helpful in giving a range of options for things that unexpectedly show up behind walls, etc. He has a policy of working one job at a time so doesn't leave you hanging when another customer has something crop up. His price was competitive, and he is very honest and friendly. He did a much larger job for a friend from work -- kitchen, opened up the living room/dining room/kitchen into one larger space - and she was also very pleased. (12/14) Merrick Design Build Inc. 301-946-2356 www.remodelwithmerrick.com (12/14) Mark Hishmeh 301-448-0704 Home remodeling, kitchens bathrooms, drywall, plumbing Elite Remodeling 7847 Cessna Avenue Gaithersburg, MD 20879 (301) 590-7374 | www.eliteremodeling.com Kuzma Construction (301) 571-5550 Jobs include two-story additions. Mid-Atlantic Building Consultants, Inc. Chris Connelly (301) 529-8767 MS Remodeling & Handyman Services LLC Marcio Rogerio DaSilva 9700 Basket Ring Rd Columbia, MD 21045 Cell: (443) 367-1466 msremodeling1@yahoo.com We like our contractor a lot. Ethical, hardworking, skilled, good common sense and a good price ... I second Marcio! Very honest and skilled. Joe @Woodman Omar's Painting & Contractors, Inc. Edward Callejas, Office Manager 3705 Plyers Mill Rd. Kensington, MD 20895 Office: (301) 942-5959 omarsgeneralcontracting@gmail.com Customer Recommendation(s): 2 positive; 0 negative ++++They put in our new cabinets, new hardwood floor (and perfectly matched it to the wood in the livingroom!), wainscotting, be night fixtures, dishwasher, over-the-stove microwave with external vent, painted, etc. 19:00, June 28, 2011 SArcher 19:02, June 28, 2011 (UTC) ++++We also used them in 2013 to remodel a bathroom. They took out an old tub and flooring, re-leveled the floor, put in a new tub, sink, toilet, medicine cabinet, lights, fan, and fixtures. They also did a beautiful tiling job around the bathtub and window and on the floor. They ended up cracking the old toilet, but returned to install a new one at no cost. 19:06, April 22, 2014 (UTC) ++++We also used Omar's company for a lot of work when we put our house on the market last year. Refinishing hardwood floors, painting, putting in a bookcase where a random window was. They did a great job in a very short timeframe for what we thought was a very reasonable price. - We got an estimate from Omar's and a proposed start date, called to confirm, and we never heard from them again. Haven't actually used them for work. Renaissance Restoration and Renovation Bob Babendreier, President 8415 Commercial Street Savage, MD 20763 (240) 593-1427 RLBabendr@aol.com Granite Aguilar’s Marble and Granite 301-341-2600 1785 Olive Street Capitol Heights, MD Yesterday we got several pieces of granite cut at Aguilar’s Marble and Granite, 301-341-2600, at 1785 Olive Street, Capitol Heights, MD. They did an excellent job very carefully measuring the stones so that they are cut in the right place, cleaning the stones after they are cut, and charging a good price for the work. If you need these types of stone cut, this is where you should have the work done. Hardwood Floors Alex Fattahi-Yar We were very happy with work we had done by Alex Fattahi-Yar (alexfattahi11@gmail.com, 703-932-3200). He installed hardwood flooring in our addition and kitchen, toothing it in with the existing flooring in the adjoining areas, then sanding and finishing all so it looked like it was installed at the same time. He clearly took pride in his work and did a great job. Can't speak to price as it was part of a larger renovation package. (July 2014) Floor Covering Center 12115 Parklawn Dr. Rockville, MD 20852 (301) 770-0000 Ask for Mr. Khani. We have been working with him on different floor solutions for 14 years. He is very good. (July 2014) Prestige Floors Lenin Garcia is the contact: office 301-610-9650 or cell 301-674-7905. I recommend getting quotes from at least four contractors. The quotes ranged from $4,100 to $6,200 for pretty much the same type of refinishing. We were refinishing our floors on the first and second floor for a total of approximately 1,500 square feet. There were some repairs that needed to be done, which put the cost of the floors higher than just refinishing the floors. A friend who is a builder suggested the following ballpark figures on costs: existing floors sanded and finished are $3 to $4 per sq foot, add $1 for shoe molding. Installation of floors runs about $6 sq foot, other repair costs vary. (July 2014) Hawkins Floor Company, Inc. (301) 948-5520 Customer Recommendation(s): We have used this company to pull up carpet and refinish the underlying hardwood in one room, and then pull up and replace carpet in our basement. Have had good experiences both times. Omar's Painting and Contractors 3705 Plyers Mill Road Kensington, MD (301) 942-5959 Customer Recommendation(s): ++++Before we put our house on the market last February, we had all the hardwood floors refinished by Omar's Painting and Contractors. They did a great job and the price was only a few hundred more than when we originally got a quote from someone 9 years ago. Omar's Contracting installed new wood floors in our kitchen and perfectly matched them to the ones in our livingroom, as well as refinishing some areas in the livingroom. (July 2014) Junior Hutchinson 301-399-8777 Customer Recommendation(s): He did a great job on our wood floors this (2012) summer -- it really looked beautiful. Plus, he beat all three other bids we had. And, he's incredibly no-nonsense, was on-site constantly (i.e. he didn't leave his team to do it on his own) and good at follow-through (things got done on time and right) -- I have not had any of the hassles or nonsense with him that I've faced with others. Junior Hutchinson refinished our wood floors just before we moved in. No nonsense or up selling, quality work on time with a very competitive price. I recommend him highly. (July 2014) Comments/Suggestions I suggest water-based finishing whatever you do –when we used the oil-based finishing in our addition, it was intolerable to be in for at least 3 months given the off-gassing, so we kept our beautiful space sealed off from the rest of the house but with open windows to the outside so it would be able to off-gas. The water-base may not last AS long, but it was just a matter of days until it was tolerable, and it can be re-topped easily. (July 2014) Kitchen Cabinets Cabinet Discounter www.CabinetDiscounters.com Customer Recommendation(s): I selected Cabinet Discounters, who are handling everything. I went to their showroom in Gaithersburg, but they have other locations. I selected natural hickory, which has lots of grain in the wood. My counters will be a “white” granite, and I shall select my particular slice on Tuesday at the quarry. I am donating all the cabinets to Community Forklift which is sending a truck Monday afternoon after the old ones are removed. They are still in pretty good conditions, but after 30 years I wanted something to lighten and brighten my small kitchen. I’m also having a wall removed to give a more open feeling. New floor will be Dura-ceramic, which mimics real ceramic but is not cold on bare feet. Structural Engineers Rick Vitullo vitullostudio@earthlink.net (301)806-6447 Customer Recommendation(s): Very down to earth guy, conscious of cost and quality. He is an architect and has a structural engineer who works w him. Recommended Supplies and Suppliers Community Forklift 4671 Tanglewood Drive Edmonston, MD 20781 communityforklift.com Community Forklift collects surplus or salvagable home remodeling materials and re-sells them cheaply. According to its website: "Our inventory changes every day, but we usually have cabinets, radiators, lumber, trim, flooring, plumbing fixtures, paint, glass, doors, windows, lighting, appliances, HVAC, landscaping materials, and more!"